A Different Response
by Kumori sensei
Summary: Sasuke collapses from exhaustion and Naruto takes care of him. NaruSasu. I own nothing.


A Different Response

A loud crashing sound followed by a surprised cry came from the room next to mine. I didn't pause in my studies. It was just that idiot roommate of mine falling out of bed. Heavy thumping sounds as he walked around could easily be heard. It was troublesome at first but I was used to it now. His footsteps paused and then headed towards me. Great. He'd noticed I was still up. He knocked on my door and called out my name. He didn't wait for a reply before opening the door. His head peeked in to confirm I was actually awake and then he stepped fully into my room.

I eyed him with mild irritation. No matter how many times I told him not to come into my room without permission he never listened. The only thing he did was knock and call out to me as a short heads up he was about to enter, which he hadn't done before I'd complained to him about it. I leaned back in my chair and glared at him to let him know he wasn't welcome. Not that he ever acted on the look. Sometimes I wondered if he even noticed with how he went on like it wasn't there. We'd been together long enough for me to know he was more perceptive than that. Still. I couldn't help but wonder sometimes.

"...You're studying at this hour?" Naruto said. "You need rest like the rest of us human beings, you know."

This wasn't the first time he'd said these things to me. It wasn't the first time he'd walked in on me studying so late either. He didn't look surprised when he discovered me like this anymore. When I focused back on my work without comment, I heard him sigh and then the sounds of his approaching steps filled the room. He leaned over my shoulder to look at what subject I was working on. I couldn't fathom why he bothered since it all mostly bored him.

I could feel his breath on my neck. Another thing this guy lacked; a sense of personal space. It really seemed nonexistent with him. I've occasionally seen him interacting with his friends. They all seem pretty affectionate with each other, laughing and knocking shoulders together. He hugs them and carries them around if the mood allows it. Well, I guess that's pretty normal with friends but I've noticed he initiates it most of the time. He appeared to be more affectionate than the rest of them. That's probably why he didn't see anything wrong with being this close to me. I wish he'd take the fact that I'm not much of people person into consideration before entering my personal space though.

"Aaah, as expected, I don't get any of this." Naruto sighed.

"Hn." I grunted uncaringly.

Why wouldn't he just leave already? Not that he normally did after catching me up this late but I wish that wasn't the case. Or that he'd stop leaving his room in the middle of the night, regardless of whatever reason he was awake for. Then he would never discover me up at this hour and I wouldn't have to deal with this.

"Ya know, you're really smart Sasuke." Naruto commented casually. "I really don't see why you'd feel the need to stay up so late on this. From what I can tell, you spend most of your time working in the first place."

"Hn." I grunted again.

He pinched my cheeks in annoyance when I continued to ignore him. I glared at him but he completely ignored it as he looked down at me.

"I'm getting something to drink before going to bed." Naruto said with a troubled expression. "Do you want anything? Coffee? Tea? I vote for tea. It won't keep you up. Actually, have you _eaten_ yet?"

It was weird to have him worry over me like this since we didn't really talk but I'd come to accept it was just in his nature. Maybe I should be grateful for it. He might not have any boundaries but he was pretty considerate of people. He did his best to look out for them. Even when he knew it was unwanted and unappreciated.

"Water would be nice... I guess." I mumbled.

"And what about food?" Naruto prodded my cheek with his finger with a determined look. "You haven't eaten, have you? It's not healthy, you know!"

"I'm fine." I scowled and swatted his hand away.

"Geez. You're so impossible." Naruto huffed. "Don't blame me if you don't like it."

He turned on his heel and marched out of my room after saying that. I'm impossible? Not any more than you are. I ran a hand through my hair and glanced out the door he'd left open. Even though he said it wouldn't be his fault if I didn't like it, he seemed be pretty aware of what I liked. We've been together long enough for him to have taken notice. All I ever saw him eat was ramen so I didn't know what else he liked. He ate that stuff every day and yet complains about my eating habits? Although he could apparently cook so I guess he might eat other things too.

It wasn't too long before he'd returned. I'd barely managed to reimmerse myself in my notes when he came in again. He gave a cheerful call of "I'm back!" He'd cooked some vegetables and made a salad. He brought in the dressings I liked with him and set them alongside the glass of water. The fact that he'd picked up that I only used dressings when I was in the mood for them was enough to tell me he was more perceptive than he let on. I used them more often than I didn't so it wouldn't have been odd if he thought I always used them. It was a small detail to pick up on. This moron even noticed which dressings I liked for different things.

This guy didn't act like he'd pick up such minute details. Yet the evidence was right in front of me. I glanced up at him when he didn't leave afterwards. He wasn't the type to wait around for a thank you to begin with but he knew I wouldn't say something at this point anyway. So why the hell wasn't he leaving yet?

"Make sure you get some rest, okay?" Naruto said. "School's important, but so is your health."

He had a soft look in his eyes I hadn't seen before. It was an affectionate look and I dropped my gaze back to my notes with a noncommittal grunt. Why was he making a face like that at me? It wasn't normal to look at someone you weren't close to like that. Damn it. He should just leave me alone already. A gentle laugh filled the air as he patted me on the shoulder before leaving the room. At the door to my room he turned back to me.

"Seriously, get some rest." He said. "I worry about you, Sasuke."

Then he softly closed my door and left. Geez... What the hell? Saying something like that. He was a way too honest guy. It was troublesome. I didn't know how to deal with nice guys like him. Being a jerk to most people was fine, but even I would feel bad being like that to ones like him. My gaze dropped to the food he made. I slowly ate it while returning to my studies.

The next day came. I went on like usual. Which meant I was holed up in my room doing work. That didn't last until the end of the day though. Due to yesterday, the moron had hung around our place today. He bothered me from time to time, wanting me to take a break, but he backed off after several minutes of me ignoring him. It was weird of him to give up like that, even if he was trying it repeatedly. Maybe he was trying to come up some new strategies to coax me out of my room when he left. If he was, he was failing miserably. He hadn't done anything new.

"Oi, Sasuke! It's dinner time! Dinner!" Naruto yelled, barging into my room without any form of warning. "No brushing me off or ignoring me this time! You need to eat! Otherwise you'll collapse. So put those damned books away before I burn them."

My annoyance towards all lack of warning before entering my room vanished at those last words. I snapped my head over to him in disbelief. Normally, I wouldn't believe an absurd comment like that but he'd sounded pretty pissed off with that threat. He looked rather irked too. He hadn't snapped at me all day, which really should be more surprising, but it looked like he wasn't suppressing his frustration with me any longer. It wouldn't exactly do him any favours to go through with that threat. He'd have to pay for my books and could get in a whole lot of trouble but those eyes promised me he would do it anyway.

Geez, this guy... I sighed and got up. Replacing these books would take considerably longer than eating dinner like Naruto wanted. His really ticked off face immediately broke into a cheerful grin when he saw I was coming out. Seriously. What was up with this guy? He cared way too much for—ah... Shit. I'm dizzy. Fuck. The room's spinning. I grasped the table and covered my face with a hand. The moron was saying something but I couldn't focus beyond the sudden bout of nausea I felt. Damn, I knew I was tired but to be hit so quickly...

Then I felt inquisitive hands on my arms and looked up. Of course, the idiot was standing there with a worried expression. I shoved him away, muttered that I was fine. The way his surprise dropped to a blank expression and he said nothing left a bitter taste in my mouth. There was another new expression to add to the list of ones I hadn't seen up until now. To have a guy who clearly expressed his feelings without regret make a face like that... I didn't want to see that. Man, I must be pretty terrible.

As I moved to walk around him, my consciousness flickered in and out. I lost my sense of touch long enough for my legs to give out on me. Of course this guy lurched forward to catch me. His arms circled me but he lost his footing and we both went down. The idiot protected me from the fall. He held me to his chest and made sure his body was the only one to crash against the floor. My weight was merely cushioned by him. It didn't make sense. Why was this guy so nice to me?

"Are you okay?" I asked while slowly pushing myself up.

"Huh...? Oh! Yeah, this is nothing." Naruto laughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek. "I've been through worse."

The reassuring comment ended up being more serious than he likely intended. You've been through worse? It sounded like it was a lot worse. I stared down at him silently. He looked flustered and unsure of what to do. Then I realized he was trapped under me and left with nothing to do but meet my gaze. Haa... I didn't mean to be forceful like this. It wasn't like I had any right to pry into whatever he wasn't saying in that comment. I got off of him and leaned back against my desk. Naruto sat up and looked over at me afterwards. I was waiting for that 'I told you so' I was sure was coming. He did tell me to rest after all.

"You should stay in bed." Naruto said. "Are you nauseous or anything? I'll make you soup. It'll be easier on your stomach."

"I'm fine. You don't have to do that." I muttered.

"You are not!" Naruto glared at me. "Now come on, let's get you to bed."

I scowled, still not wanting his help. Even if he was just being nice. So, I awkwardly pushed him away and stumbled towards my bed. Despite not wanting his help, even I knew I had to rest now. Naruto looked exasperated at my resistance to him but content since I was at least listening to him and staying in bed. He followed me to bed. In case I fell again, I'm sure. Since he wasn't being stubborn about helping me I didn't complain about it. He stared at me for a moment as I got comfortable and then turned around.

"I'll be back with the soup in a bit." Naruto said as he headed towards the door. "I'll bring in some medicine and water with it. Use it if you need it. Just try to get some rest in the meantime."

"Hn." I rolled on my side and kept my back to him.

It would be best if he just left me alone but I didn't think that would happen. Either way, I pulled my comforter over my head and snuggled into my sheets. I didn't say anything to the moron but I did feel sick. Sleep was definitely welcome right now. It came to me rather easily, but didn't last long. The blond lightly shook me awake when he came back in with the food. I looked up at him in annoyance and he gave me an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. I should've asked if you'd want me to just let you continue sleeping before I left." Naruto said. "Anyway, I made chicken noodle soup and brought some crackers in too. Along with the medicine and everything too. Did you want to go back to sleep? I can reheat this and come back in a few hours or something."

Ugh. His voice was so soft and sweet. It was pretty obvious he'd wait hand and foot on me now that I was like this. This guy was way too considerate. It wasn't normal. At all. If we really knew each other, that'd be one thing but we didn't. We were just roommates who hardly ever talked to each other. Not from a lack of imbeciles trying though. He was just crouching in front of me, waiting for my answer patiently with a warm smile. What was up with this guy? Honestly.

"It's fine. I'll eat now." I muttered.

I might as well since you've already gone and woke me up. Naruto nodded at me and watched as I sat up before standing.

"Okay. Call if you need anything." Naruto said and disappeared again.

That was unexpected. I thought he would stay in here no matter what I said. He should know I'm not going to ask him of anything whether I need it or not. Ah, who knew what went through that moron's head? I slowly ate the food and took the medicine before curling back up in my sheets. Sleep came easily again and it was hours before I woke up again.

I rolled back over towards my door and a wet cloth fell from my forehead. It was still cool so Naruto must have been in here recently. The empty bowl was gone too. Though he left the crackers and everything else here. The glass of water had ice cubes in it too. Was he replacing it with new ones to keep it cool? It was cold when I touched it so I guess he must be. Haa... So he was just coming in and checking on me periodically. That explained why he left so willingly.

My head pounded as I sat up. Otherwise I felt fine though. I got to my feet and moved towards the door. What time was it? How long had I slept? I padded towards the washroom quietly. The blond nevertheless noticed me. He was laying on the couch playing his PSP. Attentive cerulean orbs turned to me as I approached. He took me being up and about rather well. I thought he'd make more of a fuss over it.

"Oh, you're up... Are you okay to be moving around?" Naruto asked.

"Hn." I grunted and entered the washroom.

There was no response from him. I glanced at myself in the mirror. Huh... I didn't look well. Naruto really was taking this surprisingly well... For him anyway. That reaction was about what I'd expect from anybody else. It was weird. I couldn't help but wonder if something was up but I welcomed the change all the same. His voice reached me again when I left after using the toilet.

"You hungry or anything?" Naruto looked over at me again. "If there's something you want, I'll get it. You should go back to bed. It's late anyway."

Oh, that sounded more like him. I was going to ignore him but that last part caught my attention.

"How late?" I asked.

"Hm...? Uh... 12:15." Naruto said after checking it off his game.

"Then why are you still out here?" I frowned at him.

"No real reason." Naruto shrugged. "I don't have classes tomorrow so staying up isn't a problem for me."

So basically, you're playing guard dog and making sure I don't wander around too much. Good grief, this guy went too far over me. He yawned as he focused on his game. It didn't look like he was all that entertained by it. Was he just playing it to pass the time then? What the hell... This was too much.

"Oi. Don't stay up over me." I said as I leaned over the couch.

"Hm? It's no big deal." Naruto smiled, not denying my claim. "I stay up late gaming on days off all the time."

"That's not the point, Idiot." I sighed.

It was silent as he looked up at me. Then he randomly pressed his hand to my forehead.

"Hmm... You're still hot." Naruto said. "Your fever hasn't left. Take more of the medicine and go back to bed."

"Hey, don't ignore me." I glared.

"Why not? You do it to me all the time." Naruto smirked, focused back on his game.

Oh, he was enjoying this. It pissed me off. I snatched his game away from him but he only looked up at me in amusement. Fucking...!

"I'm serious. It's annoying." I said.

"I know." Naruto retorted.

"...Look, I'll do as you said so go to bed too." I muttered.

"M'kay." Naruto said and rolled on his side.

"That's not what I meant!" I snapped. "In your own room!"

"If you want me to sleep in a bed," Naruto smiled though his eyes remained closed in feigned sleep, "I'll only do it in yours."

Now, I really had no idea how to reply to that. He would only sleep in my bed? This idiot really felt comfortable saying some absurd things. There was no way he actually thought it was remotely okay to share a bed with me, did he? Haa... Maybe he just expected me to tell him to go fuck himself and leave. If I wasn't so shocked I probably would have. Naruto was obviously fine with sleeping on the couch. It was pretty clear this wasn't some weird attempt to get into my bed. Geez, what a nuisance-some guy.

Yet, somehow, I couldn't say the words and walk off. If I did, I'd be playing into his hands. It would be easy to make a smart remark to all that but it wouldn't get me anywhere. What Naruto meant was clear. Even if I tried to twist his words, he'd just clarify them. If I didn't want to give in to him, then I'd have to share a bed with him. As I was right now, there was no way I could force him to do anything. Haa... Fuck. What's wrong with me? Why am I doing this?

"Fine." I muttered.

"Eh? What?" Naruto blinked up at me in surprise.

"Come on, Moron." I smirked and glared at him. "Get up."

It looked like he was speechless. This guy who was way too affectionate with me... I knew better than to hope he wouldn't be fine with sharing a bed with me. Ha. If someone asked me to bet if he'd be willing, I'd say yes. So it came as no surprise when he got up and followed me into my room. Naruto didn't make a sound but his eyes burned into my back. I didn't blame him. This wasn't like me at all.

"...Are you really okay with this?" Naruto asked.

"Of course not, but you sleeping on the couch is absurd." I muttered. "Or are you taking back your statement?"

"Well, no, but... I mean..." Naruto mumbled. "I don't want to do something you aren't comfortable with."

"Then sleep in your own room." I glared at him.

"...Since when did you care this much about me?" Naruto asked.

That was a good question. Even if I'd agreed because I didn't want to give him his way, in the first place I'd told him to go to bed because I was bothered. Bothered by him staying up for me. It was nice to be cared for. Despite being uncomfortable with it all, that much was true. His kindness felt good no matter how much I told him to leave me alone. However, up to this point, I'd never cared what he did if it didn't hinder me. When I came out there, I'd never intended to stay up or anything. There was no reason for me to fight with him about it. And yet, I did.

"Hn. Let's just go to bed." I muttered.

It was silent and then the blond sighed as he crawled in after me. He was still staring at me and I couldn't sleep with his eyes on me like that. So I turned to him in annoyance.

"What?" I hissed at him.

"Ah... It just really bugs me to do something that you're not really okay with." Naruto said.

"Get over it or go to your own room." I growled. "I can't sleep with you staring at me."

There was a moment of silence as Naruto looked down.

"Sorry." Naruto muttered and then got up.

What? Seriously? He came all this way and was now backing out? I wanted to make a smart remark over it but suppressed the urge. If I did that, it could lead to him sticking around. Besides, he was making a really troubled face... He really was too nice of a guy. Because I didn't look after myself properly, he felt uncomfortable sleeping where he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on me. He was worried. Despite that, the idiot couldn't push my boundaries like this because it felt wrong to him.

People like him really were impossible for me to deal with. I just didn't know how to handle them. Too nice. Too considerate. Someone even I would feel bad being an ass to. A guy who would continue doing all the same no matter how much of one I were. Even after leaving on my account, I couldn't sleep. It just wouldn't happen. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was his sad face. Just because he thought he crossed a line with me. Geez, Idiot, I agreed to it.

Since I wasn't going to be able to sleep in my comfort zone, I got up and went after him. As I made it to the living room I noticed the couch was unoccupied. So he actually returned to his room. I wasn't sure if he would. This made things more awkward though. To just waltz into his room wasn't something I did. Well, I guess it was better than having to share the couch with him. That would have been so much more awkward. So, I opened his door with a sigh and slid in. It had been a couple hours since he left so he was fast asleep.

I glanced around the dark room. Now that I thought about it, I'd never been in his room before. It was too dark to make much out but there were a few things. His clothes strewn over the floor for one. There was a bookshelf in one corner of the room. It looked to have objects on it besides books but I couldn't tell of what from here. There was a desk near the bookshelf, a window above it. It appeared to have his homework scattered across it. Posters were hung up on his walls too and he had photos here and there. I was curious about those but left them alone. The room looked a lot better than I expected. I thought it'd be more messy than this.

His body rose and fell as I inspected his room from the doorway. After I was done, I quietly closed the door. Then I carefully crept over to him. Naruto was curled up on one side of his bed. Another thing I hadn't expected. If I were to guess how he slept, I'd have thought it was sprawled all over it. This was good though. Sneaking in next to him wouldn't have been easy if he was a restless sleeper. Geez. This felt so weird. What was I doing? Really... Even if he wouldn't care, there were so many things wrong with what I was doing. Yet, I didn't stop. I crawled in next to him and laid with my back to him. Facing him would be too much despite his back being to me.

My heart took a while to calm down. When it did and I finally started to doze off, I was startled awake again. The moron I was secretly sleeping with had rolled into me. I could feel his breaths on the back of my neck. Not to mention his body lightly pressing into me. He was warm too. My pulse had skyrocketed and it wasn't calming down. I wasn't used to being this close to someone. As far as affection went, Naruto was the only one who gave me any. With my family gone, he was the only one.

"Hnnm... Sasuke? What...?" Naruto mumbled.

...Shit. He woke up. I really didn't want to deal with this.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked. "I thought... Oi, don't feign sleep. Sleeping people aren't rigid as a board, you know."

Urrrgh! Leave me the fuck alone Naruto! Why did you have to...! Siiigh.

"Shut up. I couldn't sleep." I muttered.

"...I thought I was the problem." Naruto said dryly, sounding amused now.

"You were." I snapped.

"And you returned to the source of your problem because...?" Naruto asked.

"Because the problem changed after you left." I muttered. "Can we drop this now?"

"That really doesn't explain how what was once the problem fixes your new one but fine, whatever." Naruto said.

Well, thank god for that. My relief was short lived as he pressed into me more. What are you doing, Moron?! Now that you've woken up you should distance yourself from me! No, instead he was hugging my waist and nuzzling my back. This was absurd. Just because I changed my mind and shared a bed with you didn't mean I wanted to cuddle. When I attempted to push him away he only chuckled and held me tighter.

"Let me go." I ordered.

"No." Naruto refused calmly.

"Seriously, let go." I muttered.

"Nope. Don't wanna." Naruto said.

"You...! You can't just..." I sighed.

"Hnn... Consider it punishment for not telling me why you suddenly want to sleep with me." Naruto shrugged.

Somehow managing to face him, I tried pushing him away this way. Coming here was a huge mistake. What was I thinking? I got nowhere with him either. He just slipped past my arms and snuggled into my chest. Fuck, there was no way I was getting this imbecile off me.

"Damn it, Naruto, I'm not comfortable with being this close to someone." I snapped. "You being used to it doesn't change that!"

"Hmm...? You mean with my friends?" Naruto asked. "We don't cuddle like this."

"...Naruto. Get off me. Now." I ordered.

I didn't really know what that was supposed to mean. He didn't cuddle with his friends like this? As in while sleeping? Or was he saying he was more affectionate with me? Either way, that... was significant. Being this close to someone was difficult enough without other feelings involved. Damn... I didn't...

"Oh, relax. They just aren't comfortable with it." Naruto laughed.

"Neither am I." I bit out.

"I find myself not caring." Naruto continued to laugh.

"...Didn't your parents teach you to respect people's boundaries?" I asked.

It surprised me when Naruto flinched.

"Aaah... So you really don't know?" Naruto sighed. "We lived in the same neighborhood so I thought you might have heard."

"...Why would you know that?" I frowned.

"Tsk! We went to the same middle school you know!" Naruto huffed. "We were even on the same bus. Gosh, forgetting me... You're such an ass."

I sighed at Naruto's mock offense over forgetting about him. I didn't remember most of the guys from back then. The girls were all over me and that was annoying. The guys were jealous and wanted nothing to do with me. Not that I really cared.

"Our parents knew each other, you know." Naruto looked up at me in amusement. "We were forced to spend a lot of time together. I'm really surprised you don't remember."

"...This was during middle school?" I asked.

"Yep." Naruto nodded.

"But the only family that ever came over were the Namikaze's." I muttered.

"Don't I have a striking resemblance to the blond?" Naruto smirked and waggled his eyebrows at me. "Same first name and even the whisker marks. It's almost like we're the same person."

"But your last name..." I frowned.

Seriously? This was the same kid? He always wore a hoodie back then so I never saw much of his face. I thought it was just a coincidence that they looked alike. It was a long time since I'd seen him so I didn't remember much how he acted or sounded. Though, I guess he wouldn't sound the same after hitting puberty huh?

"Uzumaki. Yup. I changed it to my mom's maiden name." Naruto smiled faintly.

"Why?" I asked.

And I was sure that was a far bigger question than it should be. Naruto acted casual about it, but it was weird how his family stopped visiting so suddenly. Something serious obviously happened. I'd bet that had something to do with him changing his name.

"My old man was a real piece of work." Naruto sighed and hid his face in my chest again but I didn't mind right now. "He was abusive. Hit mom and me a lot. I wore that damned hoodie all the time to hide the bruises. If I didn't... If someone saw, he'd hurt mom more. She cried a lot. I could always hear it. Saw it a lot too. He made me. So I would know... I couldn't do anything to stop him. Once mom finally got the nerve to leave him... Well, he found out... and killed her. She apparently told your mom to call the police if she didn't hear from her after so much time passed. Haha... It saved my life. We were gonna stay with you guys."

"You two were going to live with us?" I was surprised to hear it. "No, I mean..."

I immediately regretted my words. Geez, after hearing all that, that's what I say?

"It's cool. Yeah, that's what Mom said anyway." Naruto said. "I went into the foster system and hopped around from place to place for a while. Minato, my dad, got a life sentence. I had to testify. Anyway, my god parents had heard what happened and tracked me through the system and picked me up. They're great guys. Jiraiya travels a lot for research on his book series and Tsunade works as a doctor. She's the head at the hospital she works. I got placed with her since it was more stable but I spent my summers with Jiraiya."

"I... I'm sorry." I muttered. "I didn't... No one..."

It didn't feel like enough but I didn't know what else to say.

"It's fine. I miss Mom, but I'm happy with Tsunade and Jiraiya." Naruto said.

"...My mom just let you fall into the system like that?" I muttered. "Our families were so close. It's so weird. I can't imagine her doing that."

"Who knows? I'm not bitter about it." Naruto shrugged.

"You don't seem like someone who would be." I sighed. "They never mentioned it. I wonder why. Is that why you won't leave me alone?"

"I dunno. We weren't that close so maybe they didn't feel the need to bring it up." Naruto said and then laughed. "What? Out of gratitude? No way! Why did you ever do for me? I'm just a nice guy and you're a prick. How are they, by the way?"

"Ah... They passed." I mumbled.

"Seriously? Sorry to hear it." Naruto looked up at me again. "You were always so close to them. Must've been rough."

"Not going to ask what happened?" I smiled bitterly.

"Nah. I don't want to bring up anything painful for ya." Naruto said.

It felt weird to hear his past and then not tell him anything. So I did. I hadn't talked about it before and it had only been a few years ago that it happened. It hurt a lot to think about. I couldn't look at him as I spoke either. He tried to shimmy upwards. Probably to let me do what he'd done but I shook my head. It would be too much. Naruto complied and stayed put though his hand came up wiped my tears away.

My brother had some kind of mental disorder or something. I never cared for the details. The point was, because of it, he snapped and murdered our parents. He was in an insanity ward now. _It was outside his control_ , they said. Like that mattered. Mother and Father were dead because of him. I'd never forgive him for that. As I told Naruto all this, he squeezed my waist comfortingly. He didn't say a word. Just rubbed my cheek and held me close. No more words were exchanged between us once I was done. We just went to sleep like this.

I woke up in the same position. The blond had his head resting on my arm, his face still buried in my chest. His arm draped over my waist. Mine over his shoulder. My heart started pounding again. I'd never slept with another human being like this before. From Naruto's words last night it didn't sound like he had either. That didn't matter though. He would be perfectly fine when he woke up. I, on the hand, will not be. When was the last time I cried in front of someone? I just poured my heart out to him over what Itachi did!

"Uh... Are you okay?" Naruto asked me.

I jumped and looked down at him. He was staring at me. What...? Was he...?

"You're awake?" I asked.

"Ah, yeah. For a while now." Naruto said.

"...Why didn't you get up?" I wasn't sure I wanted the answer.

"Oh, well, you wouldn't let me." Naruto said something absurd. "Your arm tightened around me whenever I tried to move."

No... Seriously? It didn't look like he was lying. I wanted to protest he should have just woken me up but I didn't want to stay on this topic any longer than I had to. The idiot would say something embarrassing if I said that too. This was all just too much. I pulled away from him and sat up. He got up too and we left his room together. Naruto had nowhere to be so he had no reason to get out of his childish fox pajamas. Not that I had anywhere to be either. My first class wasn't until 2:00. But I wanted to get away from him.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked. "Better?"

"Huh? Oh... Yeah." I said.

I had forgotten about the fever I'd gotten last night. God, I really needed to get away from him though. I headed to the washroom to go through my morning routine. Naruto's eyes remained glued to my back the entire way. Then he called out that he was making breakfast and asked what I wanted. Instead of answering, I closed the door and pretended not to hear him. After washing up, I heard the sounds of his cooking as I headed to my room for clean clothes.

When I came out, I heard the shower turn on. Naruto was getting ready now? He rarely did more than brush his teeth on his days off. He would stay in his pajamas all day and hang around the place if he didn't have plans with his friends. When I entered the kitchen, there was a plate of stir fry on the table. I knew it was for me since there was an empty ramen cup sitting on the counter next to it. Ah... Was he letting me avoid him? This was so messed up. He shouldn't be going along with my crap. It wasn't reasonable.

His cooking was good, as always, but it wasn't satisfying to eat now that I knew what he was doing. I didn't look up from it when the sounds of running water stopped, nor when he opened the washroom door or when he entered or exited his room. The sounds of his game could be heard from the living room. I tossed out his empty ramen cup and cleaned the plate before entering our small living room. He looked up at me when I stopped in front of him. The blond spoke up when I didn't.

"What's up?" Naruto said curiously.

"Why do you always put up with my crap?" I asked.

"Huh? That's a random question." Naruto laughed. "Just 'cause I let you avoid me, eh?"

His smirk was annoying.

"Answer the question." I demanded.

"Hm... Well, it's not like you do anything awful." Naruto shrugged. "You're not people friendly. Other than that, I don't see what's so bad about you."

"There are a lot of things that can go into 'not people friendly'." I retorted.

"True, but... Other than wanting to be left alone, what have you really done?" Naruto asked. "I mean, sure, you were avoiding me for a second there and you're an ass about me being a nice guy but that's not a big deal."

"...There is something wrong with you." I sighed.

"Sure. I can live with that." Naruto grinned.

My eye twitched. There were so many things wrong with him. Seriously.

"Why were you avoiding me anyway?" Naruto asked.

I froze. Fuck, I really left myself open for that one. He looked so smug too. Like he knew I'd walked myself right into that one from the start. Screw you, Naruto.

"Hn." I turned around.

"Nope. No running away." Naruto grabbed my hand and laughed. "Tell me _all_ about it, Sasuke. If you wanna have a problem with me being chill with you being you then I'll just have to be more of a thorn in your side."

Ugh. He was really using that against me. This was a bad call on my part. Damn it, when had I started caring like this?!

"Ch'! I already said I'm not good with affection, didn't I?" I muttered.

"Now really. You expect to me believe that's all." Naruto sighed. "After you're the one who crawled into my bed in the end."

I hate you so much right now, Naruto. I hope you know that.

"Screw you. I don't know what else you expect me to say." I scowled.

"What you're feeling is all." Naruto sounded bemused.

He tugged my arm so I fell in his lap. I stared at him in shock as he dropped his PSP next to him and slid his arms around my waist. What kind of joke was this? No, that cocky face of his... He was definitely up to something. Where the fuck did he see this conversation going?

"Let go. I slept with you because I felt bad." I muttered.

"Hmm... That's new." Naruto smirked.

"Fuck you." I growled and looked away.

"I'm kidding. I'm sure that's not the first time you've felt bad." Naruto laughed. "I said it, didn't I? That I don't think you're so bad."

This was way too much. My face was getting hot. My heart was beating too erratically. I needed to get away from him. Now. Fast.

"Oho. You're reacting like that again." Naruto chuckled.

"...What?" I froze.

"You made that same face before you started avoiding me." Naruto smiled. "So, tell me. Why it is you want to avoid me all of a sudden?"

...What the hell? I...

"I don't know, okay?!" I snapped. "I don't fucking know."

Naruto's face changed to one of surprise.

"Wait... For real? You... You don't know?" Naruto blinked at me repeatedly and then laughed. "Oh man, that's priceless! I can't believe you haven't put it together yet! Okay, okay. Go on, then. I'll leave you be."

The idiot patted my back while he laughed. Wait. He already knew the answer and was harassing me like that?

"No, wait, what do you mean you already know?" I frowned.

He looked amused and I realized it was because I stayed seated in his lap when his arms circled my waist again. Shit! I forgot to get up. What the hell was wrong with me?

"You act like you don't like me being close to you but," Naruto smiled softly, "you wouldn't get embarrassed if you didn't like it. Not you. If it was just a matter of someone being too close you'd put distance between you two. Yet, you haven't. Not with me. You blush and look the other way but you let me stay. You only complain. Come on, Sasuke, you don't know why you'd act that way?"

His voice was gentle. It was obvious he wasn't just straight out telling me because he thought I'd handle it better if I put the pieces together myself. And I hated to admit it, but he was right. Right about how I would normally handle someone entering my personal space too. I'd always told myself it was because he never listened but... what had I really done to stop him?

"Even right now." Naruto said. "You're letting me get away with having you in my lap. There's no way you can say you'd not have punched someone else's teeth out for this. Man, you'd be so angry. And when I talk like this to you, my voice filled with affection, don't you want me to continue?"

Damn it, his point was getting across way too clearly right now. I... liked him? There was no way. Yet, nothing he had said was wrong either. I looked away from him. My face was too hot right now. Naruto didn't say anything more. Maybe he knew what I was thinking now too. No, actually, the fact that he would act like this while thinking I felt that way... It meant he liked me too, didn't it? I had thought that might be what he was getting at last night when he said he didn't cuddle with his friends like that but I wasn't sure. It was pretty damn clear now though. Shit. What was I supposed to do? Did I... really feel that way about him?

"Let me up." I said tightly.

"Yeah, okay." Naruto agreed easily and let go.

Thankfully, he seemed to understand I needed time to myself to think. I got up and headed into my room. Sinking into my bed, I stared up at the ceiling and thought about him. Despite how I outwardly acted towards him, I'd already acknowledged to myself that I liked the fact that he cared about me. Even though I protested against it, I never truly wanted it to stop. Until now, I'd never considered why. Why did I want that? I didn't think about it but I knew it wasn't just because of the affection in and of itself. Someone else wouldn't do. It was because it was him. Because he was so sweet and stubborn and sincere.

If I were honest with myself, Naruto was 'the perfect guy' in my eyes. Even I'd picked up that he was really popular with guys and girls alike. He was pined after. He had a lot of charm and he was nice on the eyes too. Others had noticed him but as far as I knew he never had any interest in them. So others had obviously noticed what I had about him. He doted on you, made you feel special. A guy like him could make you feel like you're the only person on the planet that matters. It was because that blond idiot was him that I wanted that boundless affection of his.

Truthfully, he didn't push boundaries too much with his friends. There was a good respect for that there. It was only with me that he seemingly ignored all my protests. His friends had been here before so I was all too aware of that but never addressed it. Once I convinced myself there was no point in arguing with him anymore, I let him get as close as he wanted. As long as he wasn't too touchy with me I wouldn't say a word. It wasn't like me at all. If someone didn't listen when I told them to back off, I made them. With Naruto, I just gave in. I...

"Oi, Sasuke, if you don't leave now you're gonna be late for class." Naruto called from outside my door.

His heavy footsteps faded away as he left afterwards. Geez. I hadn't heard him approach. Damn it. And just as I... It wasn't like me, but I could skip this class. It was just lecture. I could review the material online and make notes on it. Missing one class wouldn't kill me. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. Then shoved them into my pockets as I left my room. Naruto wasn't in the living room. He must have holed himself up in his room so I could move around comfortably until I'd sorted everything out. Considerate as ever, huh.

Once I was in front of his door, I frowned uncertainly at it. I felt really nervous for knowing how it would end. Either way, I raised my head and asked if I could come in. He sounded distracted when he said it was fine. I froze when I saw him pulling his shirt off when I opened the door. Naruto grinned over at me as he tossed the shirt he'd only worn for a couple hours into his closet. He waved me in but I

didn't know what to do or think about the sight in front of me. Now he was taking his pants off! What the fuck?!

"Naruto... What are you doing?" I asked slowly.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, I'm only going to laze around the house today so I wanted to change into something more comfy." Naruto grinned. "I'm putting my sweats on."

"Ah... Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

My ears were hot too, which I didn't like. I looked away from him as I entered his room. I looked around for something to distract myself with. My attention was taken by his shelf. The objects I couldn't make out last night were clear now. They were models. Of cars, planes, robots and the like. It was all expensive stuff. Most of them were the kind you made yourself. Paint the pieces and assemble them together according to a manual. I didn't know he'd have the patience for something like that. There were a few wooden and metal kinds though. He had quite the collection.

His books, unsurprisingly, consisted mostly of manga and comics. There were some artbooks too. Most of them were special ones from anime he'd seen or the manga and comics he'd read. There were a few teaching ones too. Some actual novels were there too. I recognized some of the titles with video games he left lying around in the living room. So he read stuff like that huh? It was interesting that he'd be interested in reading a book to something he played. I guess there were merits to it though. Well, at least he read something besides manga and comics in the first place.

"I'm dressed. You can stop staring at my bookshelf with such fierce interest now." Naruto chuckled knowingly. "So, what's up? Aren't you going to class?"

"No." I said as I turned to him.

Naruto's carefree grin slackened in surprise to my unexpected answer.

"No? You're skipping?" Naruto grinned again. "Have you ever done that in your life? Oh man, I feel honored."

This moron was teasing me. He definitely was. He knew what was up and he was having a blast with it. Well, fuck you Naruto.

"Yeah, that's great." I muttered.

"So, what's the verdict Sasuke?" Naruto looked smug already. "You wouldn't have come to tell me that if you hadn't gotten your answer."

I was tempted to lie to wipe that look off his face but I didn't feel like dealing with the trouble that came with it. Things wouldn't progress the way I wanted to if I didn't let him be smug about it so oh well.

"You already know the answer." I scowled and looked away.

"I do. I have all along." Naruto came up to me. "But I want to hear you say it."

I twitched. What the hell? He lowered his voice for that last part and whispered it in my ear. His breaths were hot against my ear and he spoke huskily. My face flushed instantly and I swallowed thickly. Naruto was doing that intentionally. He pulled away enough for our eyes to make contact. He had a cocky smile and those deep blues were brimming with confidence. I shouldn't... I definitely shouldn't but... I liked that expression on him. My resolve broke and my eyes dropped to his lips. His smirk widened as he saw it. I scowled and looked away again.

Then his hands settled on my hips and every part of him was an inch away from me. Instead of answering, I tried to just kiss him and get it over with but he easily pulled his head back out of my reach. Smoothly kept it just out of my reach. So our lips remained an inch apart even know. So I was still tempted by his closeness. Damn it! As soon as I gave into him and now he wanted to give me space. That was just like him.

"Say it, Sasuke." Naruto murmured. "I've waited patiently for you to tell me how you feel."

"...You first." I muttered.

Naruto made a surprised face but then smiled sweetly. Shit. What have I done?

"Ah... Sure. I'll go first." Naruto said. "I like you, Sasuke. I like you a lot. So much... So very much."

His voice got so sultry when he said 'so much' and his hands cupped my cheeks now. A light laugh and then he repeated himself. His voice went back to sounding soft and warm and it was obvious he'd changed his words. My pulse was throbbing from those words already. That voice, hot and wanton, had already given away what that sentence suggested. My body trembled at everything that could mean. How long had he been dancing around me? Waiting for me to give into these feelings that I had avoided thinking about?

Naruto dropped his forehead on mine and pressed our noses together. Those calm blues were locked on my lips now. He was still waiting... for me to say it. He wouldn't kiss me until I said it. I didn't know where I wanted to put my hands, just that I wanted them on him. I needed to touch him.

"I like you too." I breathed quietly and grabbed the bottom of his shirt as his lips finally descended on mine.

It was sweet and filled with passion. His thumbs caressed my cheeks as I kissed back. I tugged him closer. I wanted to feel him pressed against me. Tan fingers combed my hair back as he pulled back for a quick breath. Then he captured my lips again and every kiss was more heated than the last. Without my realizing it, he had guided me backward until I hit the wall. He trapped me against it with his body. It felt good. Then his lips latched onto my neck and a leg slid between mine. I gasped and reluctantly pressed on his chest. I didn't want to stop it but this was too quick.

"N-Naruto, hey, wait..." I panted.

"Hm?" Naruto looked up at me and then pulled away with a look of realization. "Right, right. We should take it slow."

He said so while dragging me towards his bed. The moron's smile was so sweet and innocent that I wasn't worried though. He flopped onto his bed and pulled me on top of him. I looked up at him and he had such a content face on as he played with my hair. So I dropped my head back on his chest with a smile and closed my eyes. It was a nice sensation and I felt a warmth spread through me at the face he made while doing something so simple. Guess I won't be able to ignore his fussing and worry anymore. That didn't sound so bad though. Not bad at all.


End file.
